NFL Power Rankings 2017: Patriots, Cowboys, Packers Are Favorites Before Free Agency & Draft

After winning Super Bowl LI, the New England Patriots are clearly the favorites in the 2017 NFL season. It isn’t nearly as easy to pinpoint who will challenge the champs as the rest of the league tries to dethrone the only real dynasty in American sports today.

With so much time in between the 2017 Super Bowl and the start of the next NFL season, a lot is likely to change. Big names will switch teams in free agency, and a good draft can completely alter a team’s chances. Blockbuster trades aren’t the norm in the NFL, but Tony Romo will almost certainly be dealt, potentially adding a new Super Bowl contender into the mix.

While acknowledging the fact that some NFL rosters could be drastically different in a few months, here’s a look at early power rankings for the 2017 NFL season:

1) New England Patriots

There’s no doubt that the Patriots have the best chance of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 2018. Tom Brady remains the NFL’s best quarterback, and Bill Belichick is easily the NFL’s top head coach. Playing in a weak AFC East, New England is all but guaranteed to win the division and get a top seed in the conference.

2) Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys had the NFC’s best record in the regular season, and their star players might only be getting better. As long as Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott don’t take a major step back in the 2017 season, Dallas will be a top Super Bowl contender.

3) Green Bay Packers

The Packers have played in eight straight postseasons, and Aaron Rodgers makes whatever team he’s on a Super Bowl contender. There’s no better quarterback than Rodgers when he’s at the top of his game, and Green Bay should compete for a first-round playoff bye if they can avoid some of the injuries they suffered in 2016.

4) Seattle Seahawks

Seattle’s defense might not be what it was when the team made consecutive Super Bowls in 2014 and 2015, but it’s still one of the league’s best each year. The Seahawks remain the prohibitive favorites in the NFC West with five straight playoff appearances, and Russell Wilson is a top quarterback when healthy.

5) Oakland Raiders

The Raiders had the best chance in the AFC to compete with the Patriots before Derek Carr got injured. Assuming he’s healthy in 2017, Oakland will have no trouble scoring points. Add in linebacker Khalil Mack, who won the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, and the Raiders are the favorites to win the AFC West.

6) New York Giants

The Giants might have the best defense in all of football. If they can improve their offensive line, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. will give the team an offense that’s good enough to make a title run.

7) Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have a lot of uncertainty after suffering the most heartbreaking defeat in Super Bowl history and losing offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to the 49ers. Matt Ryan probably won’t have another MVP season, but it’s difficult to put Atlanta any lower on the list after they almost won a championship.

8) Pittsburgh Steelers

No NFL team has a trio that can compete with Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Pittsburgh’s offense makes them a Super Bowl contender, assuming Roethlisberger doesn’t call it quits and Bell doesn’t go elsewhere in free agency.

9) Denver Broncos

The Broncos have a championship defense. The biggest question mark comes at the quarterback position. Can Paxton Lynch or Trevor Siemian improve significantly next year, or will the team trade for Romo?

10) Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are basically the same team under Andy Reid each year. Kansas City will win 10 or 11 games with an above-average defense, but Alex Smith and a limited offense will be their downfall in the first or second round of the playoffs.

11) Carolina Panthers

The Panthers were victims of a difficult schedule in 2016, losing nine times to teams with a winning record. Cam Newton and a few star players on the defensive end give them a good chance to bounce back with a much better 2017 campaign.

12) Arizona Cardinals

Carson Palmer might only be an average quarterback as he enters his 15th season, but the Cardinals are talented on both sides of the ball. They were the only team, besides the Patriots, to finish in the top 10 in both total offense and defense in 2016.

13) Tennessee Titans

As it stands in the days after Super Bowl LI, Tennessee should enter next season as the AFC South favorites. The Titans made a six-win improvement in 2016, and they’ll continue to get better as Marcus Mariota becomes one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.

14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If Jameis Winston continues his progression as a third-year quarterback, the Buccaneers will challenge the Falcons atop the NFC South. Tampa Bay also showed glimpses of having an elite defense in 2016.

15) Baltimore Ravens

Losing Steve Smith will hurt, and the Ravens need to add offensive playmakers if they hope to compete with the Steelers in the AFC North. Their defense should be good enough to keep them around .500 for most of the season.

16) Washington Redskins

The Redskins probably won’t let Kirk Cousins go elsewhere in free agency, giving them a top offense for another year. The problem is that they play in the same division as two of the NFC’s best teams.

17) Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings need to make some serious upgrades on offense if they hope to be one of the NFC’s best teams. Their defense can only take them so far if their offensive line remains a mess. Teddy Bridgewater could miss the entire 2017 season, and Minnesota isn’t winning the NFC North with Sam Bradford under center.

18) Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck has proven over the last two years that he can’t get the Colts to the playoffs by himself. Indianapolis needs to make major upgrades on defense and the offensive line in order to compete with the AFC’s best teams.

19) Houston Texans

If the Texans can land a competent quarterback, i.e, Tony Romo, they’ll be one of the AFC’s best teams. But as it stands today, they have maybe the league’s worst starter and aren’t equipped to make any kind of playoff run.

20) Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals had a down year in 2016, but there’s a reason they made the playoffs every year from 2011-2015. They won’t compete for a Super Bowl next year, but they have enough talent on both sides of the ball to potentially make the playoffs.

21) Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia has a talented defense, and the team has a very high ceiling. Where they finish will depend upon the growth of Carson Wentz and the additions the Eagles make at wide receiver.

22) New Orleans Saints

With Drew Brees still putting up historic numbers, the Saints should seemingly be able to ride their offense to the playoffs. New Orleans, however, has won just seven games in four of the last five years, and the tandem of Brees and Sean Payton appears to be done competing for titles.

23) Miami Dolphins

Adam Gase did a great job in his first season as a head coach, but the Dolphins should regress in 2017. They made the playoffs largely because of an easy schedule, and Ryan Tannehill probably won’t be much better than an average quarterback.

24) Buffalo Bills

Buffalo isn’t bad on the offensive side of the ball, but it’s hard to have faith in a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2000.

25) Detroit Lions

The Lions had historically good luck in 2016, and they still managed to only win nine games. With little help around Matthew Stafford, Detroit could be in for a long 2017 campaign.

26) Los Angeles Chargers

Stuck in a division with three potential playoff teams, the Chargers’ first season in L.A. will likely be a forgettable one.

27) New York Jets

The Jets had the NFL’s worst starting quarterback in 2016, as well as one of the NFL’s worst defenses. Both areas should slightly improve in 2017, but not enough for them to sniff the playoffs.

28) Jacksonville Jaguars

Blake Bortles doesn’t seem to be the answer for the Jaguars at quarterback. As bad as the AFC South is, Jacksonville remains the worst team in the division.

29) Chicago Bears

Winning six or fewer games in each of the last three seasons, the Bears can only approach a .500 record by making some drastic changes.

30) Los Angeles Rams

The Rams have an incompetent offense, and their defense isn’t consistent enough to give them a winning record.

31) San Francisco 49ers

After firing their head coach and general manager, the 49ers are in complete rebuild mode. They are probably looking ahead at a few consecutive last-place finishes.

32) Cleveland Browns

The Browns might be the worst franchise in professional sports, and they aren’t talented enough to win more than four or five games.